Amateur Radio
• Non-Commercial, two-way radio hobby and service • Hobby: we do it for fun • Service: – Licensed by the FCC – Emergency and community service
November 12 1 The Fun Part
• World-wide High Frequency Comm. • Local VHF/UHF FM and repeaters • It can be used at home • You can take it with you: – Mobile – Handheld
November 12 2 3 November 12 World-wide radio
• A well-equipped “mobile”
4 November 12 World-wide radio
• How it works: • High Frequency (Shortwave) Radio – Skip: the Ionosphere (Mother Nature’s Internet server) – Look Ma – no wires!
November 12 5 World-wide radio
• Space
November 12 6 Ionosphere
November 12 7 Ionospheric HF bounce
8 November 12 World-wide radio
• Language Barrier? – English is very common, but not everyone speaks it, even in ham radio – CW is a common language, but no longer required by ITU & some Administrations – ITU ‘Q’ signals is a common language
9 November 12 What do hams talk about?
• Radio – transmitter/receiver equipment – transmitter power – antenna – location (QTH) – radio technology – everything else
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November 12 Amateurs in space
• Our own satellites – lot’s of ‘em • On the space shuttles since 1983 • First “ham in space” – astronaut Owen Garriot, aboard Columbia
November 12 11 Amateur radio in space
• Our own satellites – lot’s of ‘em • On the space shuttles since 1983 • First “ham in space” – astronaut Owen Garriot, aboard Columbia.
12 November 12 Amateurs in space • Today, a full-time ham station on the ISS
November 12 13 Hams in space
• Most astronauts are licensed hams, including the three currently on the ISS, and three of the astronauts who died on Columbia. • SAREX: Hams in space talk to kids on Earth.
November 12 14 SAREX
15 November 12 Antennas • Some hard realities: • Big antennas up high work better than little antennas down low • Everyone prefers little antennas
November 12 16 Antennas • for example: this 2000 foot tower supports: • WRAL and WRDC TV • 6 FM broadcast stations • many commercial and public- safety repeaters • 6 amateur radio repeaters
November 12 17 Antennas
• A plug for cell phone towers: – They have to be somewhere… – … nearby, or – the phone doesn’t work!
November 12 18 Ham antennas in the neighborhood
19 November 12 Count the antennas in this picture
November 12 20 Our Nemesis: • Deed restrictions, aka CC&R’s • Homeowner’s Associations (HOAs) • Restrictions, outright prohibition of antennas, transmitting • “Antenna friendly” neighborhoods are hard to find! • Sometimes, state and local governments
21 November 12 Our other evil….
• RFI: Radio Frequency Interference, Typically to: – TVs – Phones – Audio systems
22 November 12 What to do: • (the short course – this is a half-hour presentation later in the course!) – Contact the ham… – Diagnose the problem – Contact the manufacturer and/or vendor – Install filters
23 November 12 Emergency & public service
24 November 12 Emergency & public service
• Our unique capabilities include: – trained volunteers – communications “Off The Grid” – generator and battery power – no phone lines, no Internet – from anywhere, to anywhere (almost)
25 November 12 Emergency & public service • When the power goes out and the phones go dead . . .Hams are there – Hurricanes – Floods – Fires – Earthquakes – Tornados
26 November 12 Emergency & public service • When the power goes out and the phones go dead . . .
– hurricanes – floods – ice storms – tornados – earthquakes – fires
27 November 12 Emergency Operation Centers
• county EOCs • command posts • shelters • in the field • State EOCs
28 November 12 EOCs include coordination
• Skywarn: 146.88 MHz
29 November 12 Amateurs and public service • Event support: – bike tours – Walks – Field days • Shadow officials • Rest stops • Medical teams
30 November 12 Amateur Field Day (Emergency communications practice)
• usually a weekend • 24 hour emergency exercise/contest • totally off the “grid” (power) • public is welcome
31 November 12 Some times athletic?
• Amateur radio DFing, or ‘Fox Hunting’ • Combines orienteering with radio direction finding • No license needed
November 12 32 Where did the word “Ham” come from? • We don’t know for sure • In the late 1800s railroad telegraphers called the new guys “hams” or “ham-fisted” • Early radio was all telegraphy • Commercial operators came from the railroad telegraphers • They probably called the amateurs “hams” • We take it as a compliment!
November 12 33 Becoming a Ham
3 Classes of licenses: Technician – no Morse code – entry level exam, electronics, operation, safety, FCC regs General - no Morse code – tougher exam Amateur Extra - no Morse code – toughest exam
November 12 34 Becoming a Ham • Local classes • Internet classes • Elmers • Self study – Technician license in about six weeks
November 12 35 Amateur’s Competition
• Internet and cell phones • video games • growing slowly; about 650,000 + US hams, about 2.5 million worldwide • average age creeping up
November 12 36 The ham advantage
• We are still more “mobile” – for now • We keep working when the phones and power quits • We have more fun! • Ham radio is not for everyone
November 12 37 Some different perspectives of Amateur Radio
November 12 38 Notable amateurs of the world
• King Bhumiphol Adulayadej, • Crown Prince Abdullah Feisal, Thailand Saudi Arabia • His Highness Shaikh Sabah Al- • Yuri Gagarin, Cosmonaut SK Salem Al-Sabah, Kuwait • King Moulay Hassan II, Morocco SK • Qaboos bin Said Al-Said, Sultan of • King Hussein, Jordan SK Oman • President Carlos Menem, • Prince Talal Abdul Aziz, Saudi Argentina Arabia • Dr Mamoru Mohri, Astronaut, • President Hugo Banzar S., Bolivia Japan • King P. T. Namgyal, Sikkim • Fernando Belaunde Terry, former • Tunku Abdul Rahman, First President of Peru Premier of Malaysia • King Juan Carlos, Spain • Luz Marina Zuluaga, Miss • President Cossiga, Italy Crown Universe 1959, Colombia
November 12 39 A Lesotho student makes his first Amateur Radio contact
November 12 40 Amateurs come from all walks of life
• children (No age limit in the U.S.) • adults, working people, homemakers • astronauts/cosmonauts • professionals • the disabled • the arts • Heads of State
November 12 41 Young adults learn radio
November 12 42 Some operate HF stations
November 12 43 Some like CW
November 12 44 Some like mobile operations
November 12 45 Some use solar power
November 12 46 They enjoy a field-day outings
47 November 12 Some like Earth-moon-Earth (EME) operations
48 November 12 Amateurs love antennas & are very creative in design
November 12 49 Microwave operations - (line-of-sight or use of passive/active repeaters)
November 12 50 Amateurs like to build radios, antennas & other electronic equipment
November 12 51 Amateurs gather at large ham-fests and conventions
• Ham Fair, Tokyo • HamVention Dayton, Ohio, USA • Ham Radio at Friedrichshafen, Germany • Local ham-fests
November 12 52